NORTHAMPTON — The city’s newly formed Division of Community Care held an opening ceremony for its new community space in Roundhouse Plaza on Friday, capping 2½ years of efforts by both city and local state officials to bring an alternative emergency response unit to the city.

“I’m holding back the tears,” said city Health Commissioner Merridith O’Leary, standing in front of the crowd gathered in front of the plaza to celebrate the opening. “This is a momentous occasion that marks the beginning of a journey filled with innovation, inspiration, and boundless possibilities.”

The idea for the Division of Community Care, which operates under the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, came in 2021 following nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota. Under former Mayor David Narkewicz and then-City Council president and current Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, the city formed the Northampton Policing Review Commission to explore and propose alternatives to traditional policing.

The commission proposed an agency that could provide unarmed emergency response to mental health crises, substance abuse and other non-criminal incidents, ensuring that individuals experiencing those crisis situations could be taken care of without risk of further escalation or potential violence.

“It’s both a long time coming, and also a remarkable milestone to hit in only 2½ years,” Sciarra said in an interview. “Working with all of these different organizations to create these different facets of training and then creating those programs and then hiring folks to be ready to go by the end of summer is kind of amazing. It’s a pretty huge undertaking.”

Though other towns and cities across the commonwealth have similar programs, such as Community Responders for Equity, Safety & Service in Amherst, the Northampton DCC is different in that it is organized under the city’s health department, rather than public safety, as the policing review commission had recommended.

“Given the nature of the responsibilities we are recommending this department take on, and the recognition of racism itself as a health crisis, we advocate that the department be situated underneath the Board of Health,” the commission wrote in its final report. “This will give the department leadership and access to highly trained professionals who have experience with some of the most vulnerable of Northampton while simultaneously serving the majority of the population as well.”

State funding for the new division was secured by local legislators, with state Sen. Jo Comerford helping the city receive $3.5 million from the state Department of Public Health this fiscal year for the division. The city received $3.6 million from the state the previous fiscal year.

Speaking at Friday’s ceremony, Comerford said that organizations such as the ACLU and the National Association of Social Workers are backing the program.

“There are people who are advocating for Northampton’s success, not because Northampton hasn’t earned it, but because they see Northampton as a model for what’s happening in Massachusetts,” she said. “This is not happening across Massachusetts as well as it’s happening here, because of the leadership of Northampton and Amherst.”

The division has eight community responders and is led by director Kristen Rhodes and coordinator Nataya Burch. In an interview, Rhodes said those looking to use DCC services can do so through either calling, text, email or by walking into the community space at Roundhouse Plaza, with plans to eventually coordinate with police dispatch.

“We want everyone to access us in a way that feels the most comfortable for them,” said Rhodes, who previously worked as a program coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and as a special education teacher in Amherst. “Even once we are integrated into dispatch, we’re going to continue to have those options for folks to get services from a community responder.”

She also said that unlike a police response, the goal of a DCC community responder is not enforcement or compliance, but rather to meet the needs of the individual in that given moment.

“We’re really there to support them in whatever is happening that is causing them to have that really difficult moment,” Rhodes said. “But it’s also building a relationship with them and continuing to work with them to identify other needs and connect them to local resources within our community.”

Inside the community room, sofas and coffee tables make the area a living room-type setting, which also features a nursing station, a public restroom and a quiet room. Coffee and water are also available, as are hats, gloves and Narcan to prevent potential overdoses.

Though the community space launched on Friday, DCC responders have already been at work providing their services in the city. During the heatwave that scorched the city earlier in the week, DCC responders had set up a tent in Pulaski Park, handing out water bottles and Italian ices to residents.

“We’ve found that we don’t need to go very far before finding someone who needs service from us,” said Ben Drake, the lead community responder for DCC. “A lot of times it’s just needing to lend an ear, someone who can listen to them.”

Though currently based in the Roundhouse Plaza, the DCC intends to move its offices to the city’s planned Community Resiliency Hub at the nearby former First Baptist Church on Main Street once the hub opens.

Those looking to access DCC services may do so by calling or texting 877-322-0413 or by emailing dcc@northamptonma.gov. The DCC is active from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and requests for service made after those hours are responded to the following day.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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